State Presses for Dismissal of New Vikings Stadium Case

A state agency that was going to sell bonds for the Minnesota Vikings stadium says a lawsuit holding up that $468 million offering is flawed.

Department of Minnesota Management and Budget lawyers pressed the state Supreme Court on Tuesday to dismiss the case. It was filed Friday, a few days before a scheduled bond sale was to occur. The lawyers argue the lawsuit's existence has cast a "material cloud" in the minds of investors and needs to be resolved quickly.

The lawsuit was brought by former Minneapolis mayoral candidate Doug Mann and two others. Mann's lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of the state's stadium funding plan, which split construction costs for the $1 billion facility between the team and the public, and has already delayed a $468 million bond sale.

The public authority overseeing Vikings stadium construction is asking the Minnesota Supreme Court to make plaintiffs who sued to stop the project post a $50 million bond to show they could cover damages if they lose.

State officials warn the delay could stall the project's 2016 opening and add costs. A spokesman for the state Budget agency says government legal costs will have to come from stadium funds.

The authority's chairwoman says the lawsuit also threatens a major downtown Minneapolis development near the stadium.

Meanwhile, there's a scramble to scoop up a piece of Metrodome history. Vikings fans are waiting in long lines to purchase Dome seats. The city of Shakopee scooped up 650 of them.

The seats at Schleper Stadium in Shakopee came from the original home of the Minnesota Twins – Met Stadium. Now, more than 30 years later, the city is replacing the aging chairs with seats from the Metrodome. The city hopes to eventually sell some of the old Met seats to the public.